Airman’s Wife Stabbed To Death In Lado Sarai

News from ePaper

A 32-year-old exporter and wife of an Indian Air Force non-commissioned officer (NCO) was found murdered in her Lado Sarai home on Thursday morning.

Victim : Rekha Kuntia

Police said victim Rekha Kuntia had probably been killed in front of her two-and-half-year old son, who neighbours claimed was a special child. A case of murder had been registered at the Malviya Nagar police station. The victim’s husband, 35-year-old Pranab Kuntia, an IAF sergeant posted at Tughlakabad, was also being questioned. The police have detained the family’s domestic help Aman (18) for questioning.
According to the police, the incident took place when Pranab and Aman were not at home. ‘‘Pranab left for work around 7.30 am. Twenty minutes later, Aman too left for the local vegetable market. When he returned around 10 am, he found the front door ajar. Peeping in, he found Rekha lying in a pool of blood in the bedroom and the child sleeping beside her. He immediately rushed out of the house and called the neighbours, who in turn called the police around 10.45 am,’’ said a senior police officer.
Police said there were multiple stab injuries on the victim’s neck and abdomen. ‘‘It seems a kitchen knife was used to inflict the wounds. We have recovered the weapon. There have been claims that a laptop is missing from the house. However, given the shape of things inside the house, we do not think it was a robbery attempt,’’ added the officer. The body was taken to AIIMS for postmortem.
Speaking about the incident, DCP (South) HGS Dhaliwal said entry to the house was friendly. ‘‘There was no forced entry. Neither had the house been ransacked,’’ he said. He added that the police were looking at all possible motives. ‘‘We are looking into the personal enmity angle seriously. We are questioning all those close to the lady and are hoping for a breakthrough soon,’’ he said. He added that her relatives were being contacted in Orissa.

Rekha Kuntia's Murder Site

The deceased and her husband, both natives of Orissa, had been married for the last five years. Neighbours said Aman, who hailed from West Bengal, had been with the family from a very young age. A senior officer at the Malviya Nagar police station, however, said he had not been verified locally. ‘‘We are told that he was hired based on some local contacts in Orrisa,’’ he said.